Where does “tēnesmus” come from?
tēnesmus (Latin) comes from Ancient Greek τεινεσμός, from Ancient Greek τείνω, from Proto-Hellenic téňňō, from Proto-Indo-European tén-ye-ti, from Proto-Indo-European ten- — to stretch, to extend.
Ancestry of “tēnesmus”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Ancient Greek | τεινεσμός | A vain endeavor to evacuate |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | τείνω | to stretch, extend; to spread; to exert, push to... |
| 3 | Proto-Hellenic | téňňō | to stretch |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | tén-ye-ti | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ten- | to stretch, to extend |